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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – The Food Bank for Westchester and the Westchester Coalition for the Hungry and Homeless are merging.

The agreement now goes to the state for approval, expected later this year.

The White Plains-based Westchester Coalition’s operations will be incorporated into the Food Bank based in Elmsford, where it operates a 36,000-square-foot distribution warehouse.

The two organizations said the merger will enable them to strengthen their missions by operating more efficiently and eliminating redundancies.
“This merger capitalizes on the strengths of two vital organizations while eliminating overlapping services,” said Ellen Lynch, executive director of the Food Bank. “The demand for our services is not being met. It is incumbent upon us to implement new distribution models, develop new food and funding sources, and strengthen the distribution network through enhanced volunteer engagement.

"The merger will enable us to utilize our collective resources more effectively to reach all these goals and to raise awareness of the overwhelming need in our county.”
Jeanne Blum, the coalition’s executive director, will become director of strategic partnerships and advocacy for the Food Bank.

“The merger gives us a strong unified voice that will help the people we serve,” said Blum. “Working with our respective boards, we have carefully evaluated the benefits of a merger and concluded that this is the right time for each of our organizations to make the move. We are very excited about the future opportunities the combined organization affords us.”
The Food Bank is one of eight regional food banks in New York State and distributes more than 7.4 million pounds of food annually to approximately 200,000 Westchester residents.